A recent article on Benefits Pro made the following observation: “There’s plenty of talk these days about all sorts of employee benefits that might help to attract and retain top talent — but when push comes to shove, it’s the dollar sign that has the most influence.”
People have access to more information today than ever and with information comes empowerment. In today’s often confusing economic and financial world, many are making the decision to take control over their own financial well being. While trendy “perks” such as cool lunch break rooms and pet insurance may have their place, they do not give one control over his or her financial future.
The trend toward financial self-determination is understandable given studies that show that the financial services industry is rated as one of the least trusted industries – a trend set in motion by the 2008/2009 financial crisis. So how are people choosing to take control?
One way is by gaining access to alternative assets such as gold and silver. OWNx offers a voluntary benefit platform to employers, strengthening the benefit package by offering employees access to diversification into gold and silver via payroll deduction. This type of diversification was previously only available through institutional investors.
A second way is to open a self-directed trust company IRA. This industry is in the process of being re-designed from the ground up, and technology is leading the way. In a recent article, Dara Albright, a well respected analyst in the emerging FinTech revolution made the following observation:
“Today’s retail [IRA] investor is not looking for another mutual fund. He is not begging for ETFs. Nor is he interested in day-trading stocks. Instead, he is craving yield, and he is demanding access to the same level of returns that institutions have been enjoying for years through alternative asset diversification.”
So what is the best retirement vehicle to realize yield and diversification? Ms. Albright is convinced that, “Except for the possibility of a sudden legislative change, hands down, the trust company based [self-directed IRA] model will emerge as the clear victor.”
Trust company self-directed IRAs put control into the hands of investors. Rather than restricting available options, as many 401(k) plans and broker/dealer products do, these IRAs are including a wider range of investment options.
In order to stay in line with these emerging trends we are working to insure that physical gold and silver are available on your menu of investment options by making our technology available through partnerships with employer benefit platforms and trust company self-directed IRAs. We invite you to learn more about how you can leverage our platform to serve your needs individually through an IRA, or the needs of your employees through our Employee Benefit.